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Jul 20, 2010

CSN Giveaway

While we all sit around waiting for my baby to arrive (you are all sitting around waiting for my baby to arrive, aren't you?), we thought it'd be fun to do another giveaway.

We're giving away a $50 gift certificate to any of the 200 online CSN stores. They sell, almost literally, everything you can possibly imagine.

Since I'll be moving to a bigger apartment soon (expect some "moving without selling your firstborn child to cover the expenses" posts soon), with a kitchen where the fridge can open all the way, I may be spending a little too much time looking at all the fun dishes that I'll actually have room to store in my new kitchen (no matter what else gets the axe, my beloved Le Creuset dishes from my great-aunt at our wedding will be making the trip back to Texas with me).

Frankly, I don't even KNOW what I would choose if I won, because there are so many options. Baby furniture might also be toward the top of the list for me. . .

If you win, you can use your $50 toward any last thing you desire and the options are many.

To enter, leave a comment telling us something you do well financially - we want to hear about your successes! We'll randomly choose a winner over the weekend and announce on Monday!

This is only open to residents of the US and Canada. This contest is sponsored by CSN stores.

We (especially Dan) are really good at making sure that our budget is not so tight that we can't help other people. Little things like giving people rides to church every week or making meals for people who are sick. We add a little cushion to our gas and grocery bill categories that we don't always use, but can use so we don't feel guilty helping people out.

Even though our med school loans aren't in repayment yet (6 month grace period...) I am setting aside our payment (and then some) into our savings each month so we get used to not having it available in each paycheck...and then we plan on paying off the interest before it all capitalizes in October.

WOOHOO another giveaway!!!! YAY!!! well something Ryan and I have been doing very well with is saving money while paying off debt- we are trying to buy another house here soon and we want zero debt so we've been able to allocate enought to pay off debt- we are even going to one car in sept-while saving for a downpayment- it's a sacrifice now (in other areas) but totally worth it in the long run!

Something I do well financially is saving on bills. Turning the lights off, turning the A/C up one degree, and washing clothes in cold water. I am also extremely picky and that helps save money because I have to LOVE something to buy it!

My husband and I are pretty good about using coupons and shopping at the grocery store with what is on special. Then we also look up what is on line with coupons and use the stores discount card.msgb245 at gmail dot com

We're good at paying extra on our mortgage (we're looking at a payoff in 7 years total, as opposed to 30). We're also good at line-drying clothes, turning off lights, not using the AC unless it is really hot, and planting a garden (from which we freeze and can).

I don't use cash because it's harder for me to track but we do a debit card so it's the same idea. I go through our budget 3x a week to make sure we're on track, see what we can adjust to save more, etc.

We are really good at sitting down every month and going over the last month and next month's budget together. It helps that we communicate and set goals and account. Likewise we are good at sitting down periodically (it was last night) and doing longer term goals.

We actually moved like you're going to be moving almost exactly a year ago. We sold everything we owned, that didn't fit into our car and then re-furnished a new apartment for right around $1500--baby furniture, etc. We're pretty good at getting our stuff second-hand. Honestly, we do it now because we have to--we're living the best we can on my husband's grad student stipend, but there are some things I don't plan to change once we don't have to live like poor college students anymore, just because I want to spend money on other things.

We also shopped for forever before buying our new mattress (like, we slept on our craigslist couches for a month and a half), but we bought a floor model and got a really nice mattress set for $300. The nice thing is, we still get the warranty and all that jazz that goes with a new one, but we paid a whole lot less for it. Wahoo for saving money!

We're still students, so there's not a lot extra every month, but we are zealous about the whole 'pay yourself first' thing. That way, it feels like we're moving towards a goal (even if it's just $50 a month) instead of just surviving. It's nice to see the savings move up steadily.

We are bargain hunters, especially when it comes to furniture or other household items. We have saved tons of money using craigslist and garage sales, because we're not picky about having brand new brand name things.

We're generally pretty good with money over all. We frequently go over our budget together with an eye toward cutting something out only to discover there's nothing there TO cut out. Our spending is well controlled with very little waste.

I won the last contest, so I don't know if I could possibly win again, but I want to enter anyway. One thing I do well is have a weekly budget meeting with my husband. We are able to have open communication about our financial goals and hold each other accountable for our spending.

I am especially great at traveling on the cheap. Our family accompanied my husband on a business trip to the Air Force and they only gave him a $40 per diem (that is like 1/3 of what he normally gets). We stayed for two weeks and spent a weekend at the beach in Florida and still came home with extra $$, plus since I put my boys in charge of the per diem they learned a ton. Or for our last family anniversary I worked the point system like crazy and we spent $2,000 on a $10,000 vacation for all 6 of us to go to Grand Cayman. It was so luxurious to be waited on hand and foot.

One of the little things that we have converted to recently is making our own salads. It is a small change, but lots of small changes add up to big savings. Premade, bagged salads cost any where from $4 - $6 where we live. I can make one that tastes better, with better ingredients in a matter of a few minutes - and it costs me less than two dollars! That's a savings of anywhere from $2 - $4 PER DAY. We are looking for little ways to save and to eat better, and this is just one example.

We're best at saving. We have an extremely limited income right now (because I'm a full-time student) so we cut a ton of things from our budget in order to make ends meet and still save a bit each month. The amount is dramatically smaller than when I was also working full-time, but it's certainly better than nothing at all.

We're good at making sure we "pay ourselves first," and I've been doing well at meal planning-saving on groceries and not going out- and making freezer meals out of food that would just go bad and not get eaten otherwise

We are good at not having debt. We paid off our last debt in 2007 and we haven't ever gone back. Sure we have been tempted. But we stayed true to ourselves and have not regretted it. We even bought a mini-van this spring with CASH. (We needed one to hold our expanding family. Number 3 is on his way.)

I have to say, I'm pretty great at locating freebies and samples, and we've saved quite a bit on shampoo, bodywash, etc. by using my samples. I also sign up for online survey sites and get money for taking surveys. Every little bit counts!

I feel slightly guilty for entering since I won the last giveaway, so feel free to eliminate me if you want. :)

We are excellent at being very financially organized. I know where our money goes down to the penny, and because of this, we can make very conscious choices about how to use it in the future (e.g. deciding exactly how much - or how little - we need to take out in student loans for the coming year). We are also very good at practically never eating out for lunch, and only rarely for dinner.

I'm good at saying no to little purchases that seem insignificant, but in the long run end up adding up to quite a bit. For example, I've been cooking (every day) using only a 1/2 Tbsp and 1 tsp, and 1 C and 1/4 C measuring cup and spoons because I don't NEED the full sets, and even though it would only cost a few dollars to replace them, I don't want to waste that money. There are more examples, but happily, someone saw me using them and bought me that new set. Score!

I pretty much suck at everything financial (go ahead, ask me what I do for a living!) but one thing I am very good at is eating lunch at home. I work very close to home and 9 days out of 10 I eat at home. The exception is always if I have to run errands on my lunch break, and then I aim for cheap lunch.

We have been saving a lot this summer. We are both working near full-time, which will change in the fall, so we are nearing our goal of earning all the money we'll need for the next school year to avoid having to take out loans.

We are good at avoiding paying for the "little things." We don't go out for coffee (wait for gift cards!); we don't buy clothes requiring dry cleaning; we reuse ziploc bags (until reasonable)... We also make goals for the "big things" and an action plan to make those big dreams come true. We measure our progress during our monthly "budget meetings" to keep us motivated.

instead of giving into my third trimester "I will die if I don't have ice cream" cravings--I signed up for a bevy of food birthday clubs and have watched the e-coupons for free cones and doughnuts pour in. This may seem like paltry savings compared to many but I promise it has saved us a lot of money these past few weeks!

We pay for everything in cash - which says a lot considering we're both full time students in college! We have less than 2k in student loans, which we're already paying back. Working more now seems easier than worrying about it later.

I'm great at finding good deals on things we would otherwise be buying new; clothes for the kids, furniture, etc. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I've bought clothing for the kids at the store (and that's things like socks and underwear... not so much buying those used!) With three kids and two on the way, it saves quite a bit!

We have been on a cash only system for a while now. We have gone from two cars to one car. And we are putting 1/4 of our income each month in savings. It is adding up fast, which means we will be able to pay cash for another car when we feel that being a two car family would be needed. Also, that savings will hopefully go toward future baby expenses (hopeful)!

We don't have any debt except for our (one) car. I think that's pretty good. I also try not to be picky about what my kids wear, grandparents and hand me downs take care of most of it and I spend almost nothing clothing my 4 babies.

I am not so great at sticking to the budget, necessarily. It seems like there are always extra things that come up. BUT I am really good at keeping track of what I spend. I use Mint.com, and we pay with cash, and I write down every cent that I spend and track it with Mint. That's my contribution to the family finances :)

We're good at reducing waste. We fix or reuse as much as possible, rarely buy clothes, and I've learned how to not waste food by creating meals around food that is just about to go bad :) I learned how to make banana bread so bananas wouldn't waste :)

We save for emergencies. My husband just got laid off and we don't have to freak out about money for the next 6-9 months, because we have lived below our means and don't carry debt except for our mortgage.

I have a long way to go on my frugal journey but one thing I do well is to stock up on everyday items (diapers, razors, toothpaste) when they're at rock bottom prices. Nobody wants to waste money on those boring purchases!

We have a substantial savings account, as well as a set number we keep in our checking account each month. This means we never spend recklessly because we have a set number we feel is necessary -- so just because we have an extra $500 sitting in an account, we don't spend it since next month, we might have a $500 expense that would kill our average.

I pay all my bills on-line through my bank. When a bill arrives in the mail/email I go to my bank account and set it up to be paid a few days before the due date. No late fees, everything is paid, and I don't have to sit down once a month and write checks or find stamps!

Although I hate that we had to take out an auto loan we did get and keep the motivation to pay it off in just 9 months over the 3 years the loan was for, saving us over $1700 in interest!! Now to just move that motivation over to my student loans....

Right now, I'm probably only good at checking this blog to see what I can do better! Actually, I'm good about coloring my own hair to save at the salon. I'm also pretty good about eating lunch at home most days. Luckily, I live close and it's easy to go home for lunch.

We have owned our own business for 20 years and in ministry for almost 4 now. We were able to go into full time ministry by being frugal and not going in dept. Always buy food from sale flyers, thrift, just plain don't buy what we don't need and we are happy campers!

Well, yesterday, I took my recently purchased laundry detergent back to the grocery store because, although I paid $13.99, it was marked as $1.39. So they honored it, I got a refund, and I thought: Janssen would be so proud!

My husband and I do a lot to save money and we don't have any debt. We paid off our car quickly so we wouldn't have to pay extra interest. We sold our other car when we moved to the city. We sell things we no longer use and buy some things off craigslist. We just switched to a cheaper cell phone plan because we don't use many minutes. Also we cook at home instead of eating out.

I'm pretty good at budget vacations. Hotwire and travelzoo are good friends but we do some backpacking, staying with friends, and eating at local dives to make it super cheap and we still get to see the wild, wild world.

I have been working on not being an impulsive buyer. Every place that we go to in England has a gift shop with tons of cool stuff and last time we were here, I would buy whatever I could afford. This time however, I have shown moderation and save my money well.

We have gotten great at living within our means by (gasp!) using only cash! It is amazing what a difference this has made on our pocketbook, not to mention our mindset. We are no longer mindlessly throwing our debit/credit cards at every bill/checkout. We are actually saving money and buying what we need! Paradoxically, we do not go without.

I followed Suze Orman's advice to set aside a little bit each month no matter what and a year later, I avoided major financial disaster b/c i did this faithfully. I will continue to do this always!daisydoo200 at yahoo dot com